Financial Results for the Third Quarter of 2017 Compared with Third Quarter of 2016

Net service revenue increased 18.2% to $272.9 million compared with $230.8 million.

Net income attributable to LHC Group’s common stockholders was $10.9 million, up 13.5% from $9.6 million, while earnings per diluted share attributable to LHC Group’s common stockholders increased 13.0% to $0.61 per diluted share from $0.54.

Adjusted net income attributable to LHC Group’s common stockholders, which excludes expenses related to the CHRISTUS joint venture transaction and one agency closure in Oklahoma, was $11.5 million, up 19.8% from $9.6 million, or $0.64 per diluted share.

Total organic growth in home health admissions was 6.2%.

Total organic revenue growth in home health was 10.3%.

Operational Highlights

LHC Group quality and patient satisfaction results continued to set the pace for the home health industry in the most recent CMS Star ratings for the sixth consecutive quarter, while exceeding the national average with 96% of its locations having four stars or greater. HomeCare Elite also recently named more than 70% of LHC Group home care locations among the nation’s best, up from over 60% last year.

Excluding the LifePoint joint venture, LHC Group acquired 35 home health, hospice or community-based locations and six long-term acute care hospital operations during the nine months ended September 30, 2017, which consisted of $108 million in annual revenue. This sets a new record for the Company in the amount of annual revenue acquired in a year.

Completed a new joint venture with CHRISTUS Health, the Company’s 75th hospital or health system joint venture.

Commenting on the announcement, Keith G. Myers, LHC Group’s chairman and CEO, said, “The strength of our business model and the company-wide commitment to delivering high quality and patient satisfaction were evident once again in the strong organic growth in home health admissions as well as the growth generated from our joint ventures with the country’s leading hospitals and health systems. We have work ahead of us to deliver on the performance we expect from new leadership we brought to our hospice business and to execute on an active pipeline of de novo, acquisition and joint venture opportunities, but we are confident in our 2017 growth expectations and continuing a strong pace for 2018.”

Mr. Myers concluded, “The convergence of value-based healthcare and hospital systems’ needs to improve outcomes and value in home health and hospice place a premium on quality and the ability to address the entire post-acute continuum. These dynamics continue to play to the strengths, experience and culture within our organization as demonstrated by the success of our recent partnerships with CHRISTUS, LifePoint Health and Baptist Memorial.”

CHRISTUS Health Joint VentureOn September 1, 2017, the Company and CHRISTUS Health finalized their previously announced joint venture partnership to enhance home health, hospice, community-based and long-term acute-care services in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Georgia. LHC Group acquired 21 service locations, all of which will continue to operate under their existing names. The joint venture is expected to generate approximately $80 million in annualized revenue and is expected to begin contributing to earnings in 2018.

LifePoint Health Joint VentureOn September 1, 2017, LHC Group completed the third and final phase of its joint venture with LifePoint Health by converting nine remaining locations the Company had managed since January 1, 2017, to owned locations. The joint venture now owns 28 home health and 13 hospice locations and is actively pursuing de novo and acquisition opportunities in both new and existing markets served by LifePoint Health. The 28 home health and 13 hospice locations, which consist of $72 million in annual revenue, were acquired in three phases during 2017. The full effect of the acquired revenue will be realized in 2018.

CMS Final Fiscal Year 2018 Medicare Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate UpdateOn November 1, 2017, CMS issued its final rule updating HH PPS, which results in a 0.4% decrease in payment to home health agencies in calendar year 2018, which is consistent with a proposed rule introduced in July 2017. For calendar 2019, CMS decided not to finalize its rule on the Home Health Groupings Model (HHGM) and will take additional time to further engage with stakeholders to move towards a system that shifts the focus from volume of services to a more value based patient-centered model.

Fiscal Year 2017 GuidanceLHC Group raised its issued fiscal year 2017 guidance for net service revenue to be in an expected range of $1.05 billion to $1.06 billion, from the previous range of $1.03 billion to $1.045 billion, and GAAP earnings per diluted share to be in an expected range of $2.35 to $2.40, from the previous range of $2.30 to $2.40.

The Company’s fiscal year 2017 financial guidance includes the expenses of approximately $0.03 per fully diluted share for the third quarter of 2017 related to the CHRISTUS joint venture transaction and one agency closure in Oklahoma. The guidance ranges do not take into account the impact of future reimbursement changes, if any, future acquisitions, if made, de novo locations, if opened, or future legal expenses, if necessary.

Conference CallLHC Group will host a conference call later today at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time to discuss its third quarter 2017 results. The toll-free number to call for this interactive teleconference is (866) 393‑1608 (international callers should call (973) 890-8327). A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available through midnight on November 13, 2017, by dialing (855) 859‑2056 (international callers should call (404) 537-3406) and entering confirmation number 96827521.

A live broadcast of LHC Group’s conference call will be available under the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website, www.LHCgroup.com. A one-year online replay will be available approximately an hour following the conclusion of the live broadcast.

About LHC Group, Inc.LHC Group, Inc. is a national provider of non-acute healthcare services, providing quality, cost-effective healthcare to patients primarily within the comfort and privacy of their home or place of residence. LHC Group provides a comprehensive array of healthcare services through home health, hospice, community‑based services agencies and facility-based services. LHC Group operates 324 home health services locations, 92 hospice locations, 12 community-based service locations and 15 long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) with eight locations.

Certain matters discussed in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements about the Company’s future financial performance and the strength of the Company’s operations. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “continue,” “expect,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including changes in reimbursement, changes in government regulations, changes in LHC Group’s relationships with referral sources, increased competition for LHC Group’s services, increased competition for joint venture and acquisition candidates, changes in the interpretation of government regulations and other risks set forth in Item 1A. Risk Factors in LHC Group’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. LHC Group undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.